The Big Red F group already had two Jax Fish House locations, as well as other Boulder restaurants, when it opened Lola on Old South Pearl Street in October 2002. The emphasis on Mexican coastal seafood was an immediate hit, as was the tequila section -- but the space was limiting. So six and a half years ago, Lola moved to a prime spot in the old Olinger Mortuary complex and became a LoHi pioneer. Back then, the neighborhood on the edge of Highland was far from the dining destination it's become over the last few years. When Lola moved in, there were only a couple of restaurants in the immediate area. Now there are a dozen within a three-block radius.

While Lola's original home is being renovated into the future Tavern Platt Park, Big Red F owner Dave Query, who made the scene Saturday night, promises that the current Lola will stay the course. Lola added a cold bar last year, and might introduce a few innovations on the patio. "Mostly we're just trying to fit in in the neighborhood," he says. "We're just trying to settle in our groove. We're young middle-aged in restaurant years. We're going to perfect our act over the next five or six years."

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